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Painting

Some of you may know already that I LOVE to paint.  Whether it's on a wall, canvas or the outside of my house, it's always fun for me.  I've done many different types of projects over the years and each one seems to get easier because I've learned a few tricks here and there.  Well, now I think it's time to share those with you!  Here are just a few of the projects that I've completed.  A little color goes a long way!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on the Grill

What you'll need:
1 pound of asparagus 
1/2lb slab bacon 
toothpicks 
pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What to do:

Snap asparagus stalks, rinse and pat dry. Lay flat and use brush all sides and ends with EVOO. Sprinkle with pepper. Count out spears and divide by four. Wrap each bundle with three strips of bacon, holding it in place with a toothpick. Grill on hot for about 12-15 minutes, turning over the bundle halfway. Cook until the bacon is done to your taste. ENJOY!

Boneless Chicken Thighs with Garlic Butter and Mushrooms

What you'll need:
6 - Boneless Chicken Thighs
1/2 Cup Melted Salted Butter
Garlic to Taste
Parsley for Color
Paprika to Sprinkle
1 - Container of Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Cleaned and Sliced
6 - Sun Dried Tomatoes - Re-hydrated

What to do:
Thaw out chicken thighs.
Start oven on High Broil setting with oven rack in the middle.

Spray glass oven baking pan.  Place in chicken thighs.  Combine melted butter with garlic, parsley and pepper. Place sliced mushrooms over chicken then pour butter mixture over the mushrooms and chicken.  Sprinkle with Paprika.  Place one sun dried tomato half on each thigh.  Put in oven, uncovered until juices run clear on chicken breasts.  I also stirred in the mushrooms and tomatoes about 2/3's the way through to keep them moist.  This assures that they are cooked thoroughly. (About 40 minutes)

Beer Burgers

What you'll need:

2lbs of 80% ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoon of parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of minced onion, browned in 2 teaspoons of butter
1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup beer
1 egg
Lawry's or any steak seasoning


Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Smash together with bare hands.  Form into a ball and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
Make hamburger pattes and wrap in bacon using a toothpick to hold on.  Sprinkle with Lawry's or steak seasoning of your choice
Grill to your flavor

I topped mine with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese... They were AWESOME!

Enjoy!!!

Bone in Ham ~ The easy way :-)

I own one of those 6qt crock pots... So that's what I use :-)

What you'll need:

Bone in ham - Get it from the meat counter, not off the shelf.. Just make sure it will fit in the pot

Karo Syrup

Brown Sugar

Butter

Water

What to do:
Pat dry your ham with a paper towel.  Rub butter onto the fatty side of the ham with a paper towel
Place in crock pot fatty side up
Put enough water in the bottom of the pot just to circle the ham.
Drizzle Karo Syrup over the top of the fatty part of the ham (already covered in butter)
Sprinkle brown sugar all over the Karo Syrup and butter
Turn the crock pot on low for 8-12 hours

This is pull apart, sweet awesome!

* Warming up leftover steak *

Place leftover steak in a Zip-Loc freezer bag... Then double bag it.... Place in a pot of boiling water until the meat is warmed through... Your steak will come out cooked, but not overdone, and juicy!

Clorox Wipes - Thumbs Up!

I love these things... I keep a container of these under each of the bathroom sinks in our house.  They work great for mid-week clean ups... For the toilet, countertop, ceramic/porcelain tile floor and the shower.  I don't ever use them on the mirrors or the fixtures (faucets and shiny stuff).
They also work great on the kitchen countertop after cutting up chicken and other stuff that might leave germs and bacteria behind.

Scentsy Warmers and Bars

So I'm not one to usually jump on the bandwagon for all the new "party stuff" going around... Jewelry, handbags, candles, cooking stuff, etc.... HOWEVER...  I received a large Scentsy warmer for Christmas from my future mother in law and I just LOVE it!  I have it sitting on my desk at work.  That way I can enjoy the fragrances without having to worry about forgetting to blow the candle out.  Here's a plug for my friend, Heather Kinsey, as she is a consultant for Scentsy... She can sell you products as well as set up parties...

https://heatherkinsey.scentsy.us/Home

Baked Chuck Roast

Just before going into the oven

All done!!!  YUMMY!

What you'll need:

4lb. Chuck Roast

One Red Onion - Cut into rings

1.5 cups of flour

1 tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Gallon size zip loc baggie

Can of Swanson Beef Broth

6 Red potatoes washed and cut in half

4 cups of baby carrots

What to do!
Preheat to 250 degrees.  I'm using a large black roaster pan with lid (same one I did the ribs in) and an oven baking bag.
Line the bottom of the pan with onion rings.  Mix flour, Old Bay Seasoning and pepper in zip loc bag.  Coat chuck roast with mixture and place on top of onion rings.  Surround roast with potato halves, carrots and top with left over onion rings.  Pour can of beef broth around the roast, on top of the veggies, so it goes to the bottom of the pan.  Cut slits in the four corners of the oven bag down to just above the rim of the pan so it will lay flat over the edges.  Cover and bake 5hrs.  There will be plenty of liquid to make gravy with if you'd like :-)

Marinated Shrimp - Round 2 - Another AWESOME recipe!

What you'll need:

2 pounds uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

What to do:

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano and bay
leaves. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Pour shrimp and marinade into a large deep skillet. Add wine or
broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for
10-15 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.
Discard bay leaves. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving dish.
**  Tip **  Put a stoneware serving dish in the oven at 350 for about a half hour and serve the shrimp in that... Not only does it sizzle, but it keeps them warm too!

Clorox Ultimate Care Bleach - Thumbs Up!!

I like this product because it's gentle on fabrics and not as watery liquid as normal bleach.  The formula is a bit thicker, preventing spatters while pouring.   A thumbs up for me!

Baked Crab Dip in Bread Bowl

What you'll need:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
2 cans (6 ounces each) shrimp, drained
1/2 can of black olives, chopped
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Ground red pepper to taste
2 round loaves (1 pound each) unsliced white, sourdough or Italian bread
Additional sliced green onions, optional (We used more onions than just the 4.. I liked that better)
Assorted crackers (I used Triscuits)


Directions

* In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream; mix well. Fold in crab, shrimp, cheese, olives, red pepper and onions. Cut the top third off each loaf of bread; carefully hollow out bottoms, leaving 1-in. shells.  Spoon crab mixture into bread bowls. Place on baking sheets.
* Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until the dip is heated through. Garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with crackers.

Tip: The bread can be filled earlier and refrigerated until 1-1/2 hours before serving. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Quick and Easy - Cleaning your shower

Need to do a quick clean up of the shower and not want to get out the Gel Gloss or other chemicals?  Try using a dryer sheet on the dry shower walls... It removes soap scum and does a decent job on water spots... It's not a thorough cleaning, but it's quick and painless... Great for a quick mid-week tidy up :-)

Fall off the bone ribs...

   

These are absolutely awesome.... You'll impress when you serve these ribs for supper...

What you'll need:

One rack of baby back pork loin ribs

Old Bay's Seasoning
2 cups of water

One bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

Liquid Smoke

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce


2/3 cup of brown sugar

With a serrated knife, score the backside of each rib by running the knife down the rib in a diagonal pattern cutting and separating the membrane on the backside of the bone. Score from end-to-end, the long way several times as well. NOTE: Be careful when scoring the ribs as to not cut too deeply causing the ribs to break apart when cooking.


In a deep baking pan (I used a black roasting pan with lid), add water and some type of liquid smoke. Mix well. Use a shaker and thoroughly coat each rib with seasoning until thoroughly coated. It may be necessary to rub seasoning onto bare spots only. Place ribs in the pan - alternating - bone side / meat side / bone side … with bone side against the pan. Cover. The pan must be tightly sealed to maintain the moisture of the ribs. Place pans in 225 degree F oven and bake slowly until done, approximately six to eight hours. Ribs are fully cooked when the bone in the center pulls freely from the meat. At this point, remove from the oven. Drain pan of liquid.

Combine BBQ sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in medium-sized bowl. Heat grill to medium-high heat and place 2-3 ribs sections on at a time, lathering completely with BBQ sauce mixture.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it gets that good BBQ flavor and BBQ sauce gets cooked onto the meat.  I used a grill brush and lathered them as well while they were on the grill.

Place finished ribs on upper rack of grill to keep warm and to keep getting that smoky flavor while you are grilling the other ribs. Serve hot with remaining BBQ sauce.

You can increase the ingredients based on the number of slabs of ribs you plan on cooking.

Enjoy!!!

Incredible Shrimp Marinade

What you'll need:

Thawed, uncooked shrimp
Extra virgin olive oil
Old Bay Seasoning
Garlic Powder (or minced fresh garlic)
Pepper
Jerk Seasoning (optional if you like it spicy)

Combine and let marinade... I like to put the shrimp then on skewers and grill.. you can cook them however you'd like.  These critters are incredible!

Old Bay's Seasoning - A kitchen "must have"

I discovered this after my sister gave me her recipe for marinated, grilled shrimp... Now I've set aside the Lawry's seasoning and started using this... Fantastic on seafood, delicious on chicken.. This weekend I used it on pork steak and I've also tried it on regular steak.  Grab a can from the seasonings section of the grocery store and give it a try!

Chicken Pasta Primavera with Portabello Mushrooms

What you'll need:

1 whole boneless chicken breast (two boobs as I tell the folks at the meat counter)  ;-)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of sliced portabello mushrooms

Butter

Old Bay's Seasoning

3/4 cup of milk

1/2 pkg of angel hair pasta

1 pkg of frozen mixed veggies (I'm using broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

4 tbs. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder


What do do......
Sprinkle thawed chicken breast with Old Bay's Seasoning.  Grill.  Cut up into cubes and set aside.  Cook sliced mushrooms in butter on stove until tender.  In a 3.5 quart sauce pan, combine soup, cheese, milk, mushrooms (with butter drippings), garlic and vegetables over medium heat and bring to a boil... stirring occasionally, cover mix and simmer on  low for about 10 minutes or until veggies are tender-crisp.  Stir in chicken cubes and cook until mixture is again hot and bubbling... Serve over drained, unsalted angel hair pasta :-)  Enjoy!!

Quesadilla Maker - You NEED this ;-)

One of my FAVORITE kitchen appliances... I do everything from traditional cheese and chicken recipes to breakfast quesadillas to making an almost sandwich kind with turkey, cheese and lettuce.  Not very expensive, either... I picked up mine at the local Pamida store for less than $25 :-)

Easy, Yummy Chili :-)

What you'll need:

1lb of ground beef
1 can of Mrs. Grimes Chili Beans
1 can of chopped tomatoes
Tomato Juice
Onion
Peppers
Chili Powder - If you want to spice it up :-)

Brown 1lb of hamburger and drain off. Cut up some onion and peppers if you like... Throw in pot with hamburger, one can of chopped tomatoes, one can of Mrs Grimes Chili Beans, chili powder to your taste and some tomato juice... Simmer until onions and peppers are soft.... Serve with sour cream and Fritos.. Mmmm nummy!

Infrared Heaters

So you've seen the ads out there for these new, efficient infrared heaters, right?  Well, at Tri-County, we have a company that comes in and sells their units at our store about once a month during the fall and winter months.  It took around 4 visits before I was convinced that I needed one of these heaters.  I can honestly say that it is actually something worth your money :-) I use ours to heat the basement rec/family room during the winter, keeping it closed off from the rest of the house.  Then I'm able to turn the thermostat down upstairs and for the rest of the house, saving on my heating bill.   Our unit runs constantly (because I set the thermostat so high) and I did see a $25 increase in the electricity part of my gas/electric bill, but, I also saw a significant reduction in the natural gas part that totally made up for the additional electric.  So I guess if you have any doubts about these units, here's my positive plug on them.  As a matter of fact, I let my brother borrow ours for a weekend and he ended up buying one, too :-)

Carving Pumpkins... This might surprise you :-)

Over the weekend, we had a pumpkin carving party at my brothers house. We set the table up in the garage, lined up all the pumpkins and the fun began!  After Derrik got done drawing out his design, he went to the tool box and pulled out a drywall jab saw.  We looked at him and started laughing!  With a big smile on his face, Derrik went over to his pumpkin and commenced the cutting.  I couldn't believe how well that worked!!  No more sharp, pointy knives or pumpkin carving kits for me!  A drywall jab saw is all you need!

Easy Meatballs

I learned this one from a friend of mine :-)  Super, duper easy and yummy, too!
Here's what you'll need:

One package of frozen meatballs


Can of cream of mushroom soup


Small container of sour cream



Mix together in bowl, throw in crockpot until heated through... Seriously, that's it!  If you like them a bit soupier, another can of cream of mushroom wouldn't hurt.  I brought these to a Super Bowl party and they went over great :-)

What to use when applying stain to wood....

It's probably something you've got in a drawer somewhere.... or check the laundry room... I like to use old socks or cotton t-shirts :-)  Everyone has them laying around (you know that missing sock pile?)  Use these to wipe on and wipe off when staining wood... The easy part is the clean up.... Just throw them away!! 

Removing Dry Erase Marker from Carpet

This one is simple.. And trust me, I know this one from experience ;-)  Use straight isopropyl alchohol.  Dump it on the spot and blot dry... Do NOT rub, but blot.... works like a charm!  I found this out when Neysa got black marker on Mom and Dad's white basement carpet... :-) 

Microwave Lesson: Bread and Pastries

Did you know that if you put a small dish of water in the microwave when you heat up bread or pastries, it will not allow the item to become dried out?  Works great on garlic bread, bread sticks, cinnamon rolls, etc.... Give it a try!

For Cat Owners - The Litter Locker

I LOVE this product!!!  Tired of using grocery bags to scoop cat litter into?  I was!

This is a very simple to use product... You open the lid to the Litter Locker, scoop the yucky stuff from the litter box and dump into the Litter Locker... Close the lid and turn the wheel... DONE!  It locks the smell away keeping your house smelling like home and not a litter box.  Here's a description of the product from the Litter Locker people....

"LitterLocker is the award winning innovative system that solves the problem of soiled litter disposal. LitterLocker gives cat lovers an odorless, hygienic, easy way to dispose of waste. Pet owners simply scoop and sift clumps in a regular litter box using the litter scoop included with the unit, open the lid and discard the waste in the LitterLocker container. With a quick and easy turn of the handle, the clumps - and odors - are sealed away in a 7-ply odor barrier bag. One turn away, keeps the odor away."

I bought mine at a pet store and I buy the refills online.  They're cheaper if you can buy them five at a time.  They last a long time, but it's always good to have a back-up on hand.  A must have product for cat people!

Home Made Glass Cleaner :-)

My never ending quest to find the perfect glass/hard surface cleaner may have just come to an end!  This past week, I've been testing a cleaner that I made myself, using everyday stuff around the house :-)  Remember that Clorox Green Works?  Well, I took the label off the bottle and made my own, therefore recycling the bottle after dumping out the cleaner that got a big "boo!" from me....

Anyway, here's my magic potion:

1 cup of isopropyl alcohol

1 cup of tap water

Two tablespoons of white vinegar

That's it!
I already knew the magical cleaning powers of vinegar, but wanted something that would evaporate quickly, therefore not leave streaks on glass, so I added in the alcohol.  I'll be honest, the mixture doesn't smell the best (smells like alcohol, not vinegar) but it works wonderfully!  I've been using it all over the house on laminate countertops, mirrors, glass and my stainless steel sink... It also works great on the microwave, glass stove top and of course windows :-)  Give it a try, let me know what you think...
On a side note, since I'm not a professional and I don't have a lab in which to test this in, I'd advise not using this product on wood or furniture...

Making your paint brush easier to clean :-)

This one is simple!  When you're getting ready to paint with a latex paint, get your paintbrush wet with water first... then pat dry with a paper towel... Getting it wet with water first will fill up all those pores making it easier to clean when you're done... Remember never to let your brush dry out.  If you need to take a break, wrap the brush up in Saran Wrap or a baggie and stick it in the fridge.

Clorox Green Works - Sorry, not for me....

So this is the first product that I'm writing about that I don't recommend :-(  The idea of Clorox + Green sounded awesome to me, but this was a dud... The sticky film that it left after cleaning countertops was enough for me to realize that this couldn't be good... It also was very streaky.  I've been on the never ending search for the perfect all purpose cleaner and this one didn't make the cut.... BUT I've got something up my sleeve  :-)  I made MY OWN cleaner tonight :-)  Still in the testing stages, but so far, so good!  Details to follow!

Rain Flow Gutter Protection

http://www.rainflowusa.com/

Total Gutter Protection is right! I've had this product on my house for 4 years now and still just love it.  I've never had to clean my gutters since it was installed.  Come to Tri-County Lumber and check out our display.  5" x 3' piece of Rain Flow - $ 7.99

Baked Alfredo with Hamburger

Another easy does it....  also another recipe that started at Vi's house (the kids' daycare provider)  I modified it into a bake to dress it up a bit.  You can save some time and  skip the bake it step, but that's what makes it taste ohhhh so good :-)




What you'll need.....


1 pound of ground beef (I prefer the 93% lean because there's less to drain off)

Angel hair or spaghetti

Jar of alfredo sauce - I like Bertolli Mushroom Alfredo with Portobello Mushrooms :-)

Milk

Fresh graded or Kraft Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Ok here goes...  Heat oven to 350.  Brown the ground beef and drain off.... Then boil water and start your noodles.. Use as much as you think you might need to feed your family.  Lol, if you're like me, you'll have enough to feed the neighbors too :-)  Add salt to the noodles while they cook if you like.

While those are cooking, pour your alfredo sauce into a sauce pan and heat on low/medium.  It will boil quickly and need plenty of stirring so keep and eye on it.  If you like, saute' some mushrooms, onions or peppers in butter and add to the sauce ...MMmmmmmmm

When the noodles are done, drain off the water and add in the alfredo sauce.  Mix the noodles, ground beef and sauce together thoroughly.  Use a splash of milk in the alfredo jar and swish it around getting all the alfredo from the sides of the jar.. Add to the mixture. 

Put the mixture into an oven safe baking dish with lid... Spread parmesan cheese over the top and cover.  Place in oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.  You're done!!

There are so many other things you can add to this to spice it up.  To keep it from drying out, make sure you use the milk.  To really go all out a bit of butter is good too.  Oh and you can't ever have enough cheese... Mixing in different kinds of cheeses adds something different too.  Hope you enjoy!

Knife/Tool Sharpener

A must have gadget!! Sharpens kitchen knives, pocket/hunting knives, axes, arrowheads, and garden tools.  I found out about this awesome tool after using my Dad's to sharpen my fillet knife while cleaning fish... Now I've got one in the kitchen and one in  my tackle box.  Simple to use and works better than you'd expect.  You can pick this sharpener up at Tri-County for $10.99.

Olive Oil Secret :-)

Did you know that if you dab a bit of olive oil onto a soft cloth or paper towel (don't over-do it), you can use it on your stainless steel or satin nickel finish items to remove streaks and water spots?  Try it!  Oh and also, vinegar works great on that stainless steel stuff too ;-)

Pet Hair??? Not anymore!!!!!! :-)

So this is just one of those things I "had to try".  We've got two cats and a Mommy that can't stand pet hair.  I've got dark brown micro suede couches in the living room and a solid red bed spread... So as you can imagine, they show EVERYTHING!  So for around 5 bucks I thought I would give this critter a try.  It's set up like this.... The bottom of the sweeper has two of the old style lint picker-uppers on it... they face each other so that the fabric goes in opposite directions.  The top of the sweeper is a handle/clear plastic bubble... To use:  Rub the sweeper from side to side back and forth.  EASY!  Then watch as that clear bubble fills up with pet hair!  I've had mine for some time now and my bubble is getting pretty full but it still works!  Once the bubble gets too full, you just throw it away and grab a new one.  Sweet!  I'd say that this is definitely a good recommendation :-)

** Note:  I know that Scotch also makes a pet hair picker-upper... Although I have never tried it, a good friend told me that she uses it with great success as well :-)  Thanks, Emily!

Cleaning Ceramic/Porcelain Tile

Did you know that cleaning your ceramic/porcelain tile with a cleaner that contains citrus will cause the grout to break up and pop out?  My solution is an easy one.... Use a mixture of warm water and vinegar.  I'm not a mop and bucket kind of girl so I just use one of my disposable Gladwear containers put in the hot water first then a splash of vinegar..  I use a wash cloth to clean.  No rinsing required and the tile will not be left sticky.  The best part is then you can rinse out the container and throw it in the dishwasher!  Easy at it comes!

Beef Flavored Rice A Roni with Hamburger

This is one of my kids' favorite meals :-)  I learned this one actually from their daycare provider.  Here's what you need...

One box of Beef Flavored Rice A Roni

One pound of ground hamburger (I prefer at least 93% lean so there's less fat to drain off)

Butter

Water


Brown the hamburger on the stove top in a frying pan.  I like to make the crumbled pieces nice and small.  Drain off the excess fat and set aside in a bowl.  Cook the Rice A Roni according to directions in the same pan you used for the hamburger.  At the end, when the rice is almost cooked through, add in the hamburger and mix together.  Let the mixture get hot and you're ready to serve it!  I like to make this with corn and serve it in a bowl with the corn piled on top.  I've also mixed it right into the pan.


**  For something different, buy the chicken flavored Rice A Roni and make it with ground turkey **

Gel Gloss Fiberglass Cleaner and Polish

I could go on and on about all the stuff that's actually in this product but they're big words and I don't understand them ;-)  The important thing to know about Gel Gloss is that if you have a fiberglass, acrylic or Vikkrel tub or shower, you need this product to clean the walls.  It removes water spots and provides a shiny, protective finish.  Easy to use..... Spray on.  Wipe with a clean, soft cloth.  Let dry to a haze.  Buff clean with another soft, clean cloth.. TA-DA!  All shiny and pretty!  A must have in the bathroom.  A note of caution.... If you use this on the floor of your tub or shower, it will make it very, very slippery... So be careful!  Oh and one more thing... Yes, I stock this at Tri-County too :-)

Bruce No-Wax Floor Cleaner

Yep... Another item I stock here at Tri-County.  Actually, I learned about this product from a customer of mine that uses it all the time.  He comes in on a regular basis to get his new bottle so one time I asked him about it and all the feedback I got was positive enough that I just had to try it myself.
I have laminate floors in the dining room and needed a cleaner that wouldn't ruin the floor but also wouldn't leave streaks behind.  I use this product along with my Swiffer Sweep + Vac using a dry cloth (no vacuum)  It gives the floor back its original luster and makes the wood grain really stand out.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

This product is exactly what it says... MAGIC!  I use it on just about everything, no really!  Just to name a few.... Vinyl boat seats, refrigerator handles, ceramic flat topped stoves, the front of the dishwasher, the textured part of the bathtub that you sit/ stand on, pots and pans, coolers, garbage cans... Seriously, I could go on and on.  They're simple to use and disposable.  I brought them in as a stock item at Tri-County because I purchase so many of them.  I keep boxes of them on the boat and under my kitchen sink.  One try and you'll be convinced!

Swiffer Sweep + Vac

I LOVE this thing!  It's the greatest tool to have around the house if you have hard floors of any kind.  I keep this little baby in the broom closet in the kitchen and use it way more than I do a broom and dust pan.  Our house has laminate floors in the dining room, porcelain tile in the bathrooma and vinyl tile in the kitchen.  I use the Swiffer Sweep + Vac with both the dry cloth and the pre-soaked wet cloths.  The unit comes with a charger that plugs into the wall and a filtered collection bucket that's easy to empty out.  You can also buy replacement filters.  A must have!!!  I ordered mine through my store, Tri-County Lumber, at a cost of $38.99 for the complete kit.

Let's Get Started!

Edit

Ok so here's the deal.... I'm a house cleaning addict.  I love to clean house, do laundry and watch infomercials with anything to do with the latest cleaning gadgets.  And oh, believe me.. I have my opinions about the stuff that's out there :-)  I've always wanted to write about the different products I try, whether I like them or not, and share my opinions... So here goes!